RIVERPLEX MEGAPARK: $2 BILLION IN TAXPAYER FUNDS NEGOTIATED IN SECRET
A review of government emails, contracts, litigation, and financial disclosures reveals serious flaws in the state and Ascension Parish plan to provide financial support to Hyundai and other out of state corporations seeking to profit off of our parish via the RiverPlex MegaPark (RiverPlex).
The RiverPlex has been shrouded in unprecedented secrecy. According to news reports, the $2.6 billion dollar incentive package was negotiated in secret. Twenty-three public officials signed non-disclosure agreements with Louisiana Economic Development about the project, and the Ascension Parish government has refused to provide public records and appealed a judge’s order to do so. Those records may contain even more non-disclosure agreements. If the RiverPlex is so good for Ascension Parish, why are officials refusing to share information?
The Riverplex is one of the most secretive taxpayer-funded projects in Louisiana history. The Ascension Parish Council must stop it.n
What Ascension Parish Residents Haven't Been Told
From hidden agreements to massive giveaways, our investigation uncovers questions every taxpayer deserves answered.
Your Money Spent on Roads for Hyundai
Louisiana has already spent $91 million dollars buying land for the proposed Hyundai steel mill. The state has also allocated $100 million dollars toward construction, gifts that a Hyundai executive called “free land and infrastructure” in a recently discovered email. The state is also spending $232 million dollars for a RiverPlex road and a rail overpass. These gifts come as roads and traffic deteriorate in the rest of the parish.